The decline in the migration of the monarch butterfly between Canada, the North East and Mexico has been well documented in recent years. Apart from signing petitions and contacting local politicians to let them know you care, there are several things you can do to help monarch butterflies on your own property. Even if you have a really small garden in an urban area, you can attract monarch butterflies.

Monarch butterflies like all other insects need a place that is free of pesticides in which to feed. They need milkweed to complete their life-cycle and a range of flowers to sustain them with nectar throughout the summer and in the fall when they migrating to Mexico.

Monarchs do not typically arrive in Ontario until June, so spring flowering plants are not particularly helpful to them. Put in plants that will flower throughout the summer and into early fall. Choose plants that are native and which are at least two feet high since they tend not to fly too close to the ground. Some annuals such as tithonia and verbena bonariensis as well as butterfly bush are attractive to Monarchs.